There are two conflicting schools of thought that still play a leading role in today´s debates aboutinternational politics – Realism and Liberalism. In order to understand and discuss them, the term international politics has to be defined and the origin of these two views has to be illustrated. Continue reading →

Fibre glass cables in the ground, cashless purchases of bus tickets, and laptops for high school kids – these are most probably not the first things coming to one´s mind when thinking of Rwanda. Eighteen years after the genocide, the East African country maintains a substantial level of GDP growth. But how sustainable is the economic upturn? Continue reading →

Discounters are companies, whose strategic target dimensions are price leadership and cost advantages. This can be realized through simplicity and a high level of standardisation in the stores, a limited product line and private brands goods that focus on basic needs and high purchasing volumes. Incontestably, the food industry and the home furnishing industry can be identified as selling goods with a focus on basic needs. Therefore, it is not surprising that the strategic approaches of some of the most successful retailers in these two industries can be identified with a discounter philosophy to a certain extend. The global marketing strategy however, can be different. Continue reading →